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“Psh.” Aunt Penny swatted her hand through the air. “I slept with my professor sophomore year. And they’re freshmen. So...yeah.”

My mom laughed. “How about you girls don’t do anything I wouldn’t do instead?”

“Perfect,” my dad put his arm around her shoulders. “They’ll be reading on the green all the time. And they’ll even have their noses in a book in a bar. Yeah. Follow this sexy mama’s lead.”

My mom laughed.

“Just don’t do what we did,” my dad added and slapped Uncle James on the back. “Or you’ll barely remember your time here.”

“Don’t say that to them,” Uncle James said.

My dad shrugged.

“Okay, we’re leaving.” He pulled Scarlett into one more hug. “I love you, pumpkin.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

“I’ll see you two soon,” Uncle James said as he walked out of our dorm. He closed the door behind our parents.

Scarlett and I turned to each other and squealed.

I jumped onto my bed and looked around our new home. “This is amazing.”

“Tiny but amazing.”

I laughed. “True.” The room we were sharing was smaller than my room back home. “It feels so homey.”

“I know, I love it.” She sat down on her bed too. “Should we text the guys to come over?”

“Absolutely.”

Scarlett smiled as she shot Axel a text. Axel and Jacob would probably be here any minute. Their dorm was just across the green.

I felt Scarlett staring at me as we waited. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.

“I’m just so happy that you’re here with me.”

I smiled. “Me too.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” I said. “There’s nowhere else I want to be.”

She pressed her lips together.

“So how much ice cream do you think we can fit in this mini-fridge?” I leaned across my bed and tapped the top of it with my hand. Everything was a tight fit in this room.

“Soph,” she said, instead of answering my question.

“Scar.”

“You’re still wearing the necklace.”

I reached up and ran my finger along the dove. “It’s like...an Ariti family heirloom. I’m just keeping it safe. Next time we’re in the city I’ll have one of you guys drop it off to Adonis for me.” I’d had plenty of opportunities to do that already. I’d stayed at the beach house all summer, but my friends were all in and out. They could have returned it if I’d asked.

“So that’s why you’re still wearing it? Because it’s an heirloom?”

I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know why I still wore it. I just...couldn’t seem to take it off. Adonis’ calls had grown less frequent over the summer. But like clockwork, every night at 11, he texted me. Always the same thing: “Sweet dreams, Aphrodite.”